Taehyung arrived at the restaurant ten minutes early, a knot of anticipation tightening in his chest. He sat in his car, wishing he’d insisted on picking Shireen up. She was coming directly from her part-time job, and it made practical sense for her to drive. Yet, he craved the simple act of escorting her, of already holding her hand. The waiting felt unbearable.
He must have drifted, lost in the imagining of what was to come, because he startled when a gentle rapping sounded on his window. A smile bloomed across his face as he saw her.
Taehyung unfolded himself from the car and pulled Shireen into a tight embrace, holding her close. “I missed you,” he murmured against her hair.
“You saw me yesterday,” she mumbled into his chest, a familiar warmth radiating through his shirt.
He pulled back slightly, cupping her face with a hand, running his thumb across her platinum blonde hair. “It’s been too long,” he said, his voice rough with emotion.
He lowered his mouth to hers, a soft kiss that tasted of roses and the sweet smoothness of her lips. She sighed into the contact, a delicate surrender that sent a tremor through him. When she pulled back, her eyes held his with a quiet intensity.
“Are you hungry?” Taehyung asked, slipping his hand into hers. “I heard this place is really good.”
She squeezed his hand in return. “I’m so sorry, Tae. I ate at work. My boss brought in food to thank everyone for our hard work…”
Taehyung waved it off. “No worries, hun. Another time.”
“We can still go in, you must be hungry.”
He shook his head, a gentle smile playing on his lips. “I can grab something later. Here, let’s take a walk.”
The restaurant was nestled at the edge of a lake, offering breathtaking views of trees, mountains, and deep blue water. Taehyung had chosen it deliberately, hoping the romantic backdrop would be the perfect setting to ask Shireen to move in with him. He hadn’t abandoned the idea, not yet. He suspected the quiet solitude of the walk would be more conducive to honest conversation than the clatter of dinner plates and the murmur of other diners.
They walked hand in hand along a dirt path behind the restaurant, the setting sun painting the world in shades of gold. Taehyung found himself unable to take his eyes off Shireen.
“What?” she asked, noticing his gaze. A blush crept across her cheeks.
“You’re beautiful,” he responded, his voice a low murmur. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
Shireen looked away, but Taehyung pressed on.
“When I met you a couple years ago, I never thought we’d end up where we are today. We were both clueless freshmen, content with a few weeks of casual connection. But soon enough, I realized weeks weren’t enough. Months wouldn’t be enough. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“Are you proposing?” Shireen asked suddenly, her voice cutting through his reverie. He stopped walking, his hand still clasped in hers, and watched her eyes widen with a mixture of surprise and…fear.
“No, not yet. But I was hoping to…”
“I met someone,” she blurted out, speaking barely above a whisper.
Taehyung stared at her, his hand still clutching hers. “What?”
Shireen looked down at their joined hands and quickly pulled away. “I’m sorry, Tae. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“You cheated on me?” The question tore from his lips, his heart lurching in his chest.
She shook her head vehemently. “No, I would never. But… I wanted to.”
Taehyung simply stared, his mind reeling. He felt a cold dread creep into his chest.
“Why? When?”
Shireen met his eyes for a fleeting moment before looking away again. “I don’t know. Six months ago?”
“Six months? You’ve known for six months you wanted to be with someone else?” Taehyung took a step back, his hand instinctively withdrawing from hers.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried, tears welling in her eyes. “I really tried to stop liking him. I tried to make us work. I tried to…”
“Like me more?” Taehyung finished for her, his voice hollow. “What happened to you loving me?”
“I still love you, Tae. I’m just not…”
She didn’t need to finish. He understood. She wasn’t in love with him anymore.
“But I’m in love with you,” he pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation.
“Don’t you think we’ve just become too comfortable? That we reached a plateau and haven’t moved forward?”
Taehyung ran a hand through his hair, frustration building. “I was going to ask you to move in with me.”
A tear traced a path down Shireen’s cheek. “Tae. I am so, so sorry. I will always care for you. But I need to think about what I want. And I want someone who completes me.”
His heart felt like it was shattering. His body ached with a sudden, visceral pain. He wanted to argue, to tell her they completed each other, that they belonged together. But the words wouldn’t come.
“I deserve the chance to find real love. So do you, Tae.”
Real love. The phrase felt like a slap. Taehyung’s hands clenched into fists. How dare she dismiss their connection as anything less than real?
“I’m going to go,” she said, her voice barely audible. “Take care, Taehyung.”
He watched her walk away, alone at the edge of the lake. What should have been one of the happiest nights of his life had become something ugly, something irrevocably broken. He stood there for a long time, numb, unable to move or process what had happened.
Darkness descended quickly, and the chill in the air finally forced Taehyung to stir. He climbed back into his car and slammed his fist against the steering wheel, sending the horn blaring. Passersby glared, but he didn’t care. He repeated the action, over and over, a desperate attempt to feel something, anything, beyond the hollow ache in his chest.
It was over.